Top Jordanian Military Commander Arrives Nigeria 

• To hold talks on air power, hardware, training 

By Paul Obi in Abuja

As a follow up to the bilateral talks between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Jordanian Prime Minister, Hani Al Mulki, at the just concluded 72nd United Nations General Assembly  (UNGA), in New York, United States, a top military officer of the Jordanian military arrived Abuja yesterday on a working visit. 

President Buhari and Al Mulki held bilateral talks at the sidelines of the 72nd UNGA, with the Jordanian leader pledging to assist Nigeria fight terrorism, particularly, the Boko Haram insurgency. 

The visit, according to Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, is sequel to several military exchange between the two nations.

He said: “The Commander of the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF), Major General Yousef Al-Hnaity, has arrived in Abuja, Nigeria on a week-long working visit. 

“The visit, which is at the invitation of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, is aimed at further exploring areas of possible collaboration between the RJAF and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).”

Adesanya explained that “Major General Yousef Al-Hnaity of Jordan and his delegation arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja today at exactly 1.56p.m. 

 

“It is recalled that Air Marshal Abubakar visited Jordan in August this year to initiate collaboration between the RJAF and the NAF. 

“The visit by the CAS was fruitful, leading to a promise by the RJAF to provide necessary military assistance and training to the NAF. 

“While in Nigeria, the top military officer from Jordan will pay a courtesy call on the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff and the CAS, all in Abuja”

Adesanya stated that  Al-Hnaity “will visit several NAF bases including the ones in Kaduna and Lagos. 

“Furthermore, the Jordanian military chief will interact with NAF frontline pilots in Maiduguri and Yola. 

“It is hoped that Nigeria would greatly benefit from the visit of Major General Yousef Al-Hnaity, particularly in the area of capacity building for NAF pilots and aircraft engineers, who could train with their Jordanian colleagues. 

“Besides, it is noteworthy that Jordan shares similar security challenges with Nigeria. 

“Accordingly, the visit is also expected to facilitate the sharing of experiences that would positively impact on the global efforts to deal with terrorism,” Adesanya added.